Out of this world - Officially deported

Today was a very exciting today - I got my port-a-cath out. During chemo this little guy was the best thing ever! Saved me from so many (more) needles and canulars, but I still was pretty happy to be waving goodbye to it.

Marvellous MooGoo

Magical moogoo! I'm a long time user of the awesome Aussie brand 'Moogoo' - even prior to my chemo days. Naturally I thought I'd try using their products during my treatment too. To my surprise there were samples of their products given to me as a 'starter pack' from the hospital. Moogoo were kind enough to also send me out a thoughtful pack filled with goodies to help me through, even warm cow socks! If you are looking for a natural, simple skin and hair/scalp care routine Moogoo are fantastic. They even have an Oncology care pack! I still use their products now as they are super gentle on your skin.

Neutropenia strikes! - Hospital Stays

It's a weird feeling waiting for your body to crash - knowing that you are going to get really sick, really soon, but have absolutely no control over this. As the days approach the teen numbers in my cycle,  I know my white cell count and neutrophils are going to crash rapidly. Even though I have nightly injections during my second week of chemo it doesn't stop the immense impact on my immune system.

I was very lucky to get through to my fifth cycle before having any hospital stays. I had been neutropenic in previous cycles but I had never spiked a temperature. In those final two cycles though my body began to really feel the affects of accumulated chemotherapy as well as higher doses with each cycle.

I suffered from mucositis during my hospital stays and those that have experienced this know the absolute nightmare it is! It causes your digestive tract to become severely inflamed, affecting your mouth and tummy. I had mouth ulcers so severe that I couldn't even speak or drink water. Just moving my tongue ever so slightly would cause terrible pain.

I guess the 'good' thing about being a cancer patient when going through to emergency is that you flash your neutropenic card in the hospital waiting room and you pretty much get wheeled on in - none of this waiting for hours to be admitted type business. I felt pretty important! hahah

In my ward, I was surrounded by people wearing plastic gowns, layers of gloves, double doors and hand wash stations everywhere - although I still didn't consider myself to be that sick. I'd look at others in the haematology ward and think they looked really unwell. When in reality so many people I knew were thinking the same about me.

Luckily with lots of antibiotics as a precaution (to avoid deadly sepsis), my neutrophils and white blood cells began to climb over a few days. It's amazing how you really notice your body getting better as my mouth ulcers started disappear over night and within five days I was back home! I was able to have just close family and friends as visitors, they all had to wear plastic gowns each time they entered or exited the room.

For my second hospital visit, I got to share my journey with another beautiful soul, Salina. We bonded very quickly and spoke about our different types of lymphoma, Indian cooking and school teaching over the days we were in hospital. We even got discharged on the same day. It's amazing how many silver linings you can have in one crazy storm!

Cycle Six - The final countdown...

Walking into the Day Suite to start my final round of chemo, total excitement would be an understatement to describe how I felt. I stayed up the night before, (what a chemo rebel I am) and made a celebratory sign to bring with me into the chemo ward - clearly the primary school teacher in me was bursting to get out! I brought along my nurses teddy bear that other special people I'd met had signed along the way.  My regular nurses Sandra and Anna celebrated with mum, Luke and I, where we cut a small cake on the Saturday of my final infusion. I felt elated that I had finished but knew I still had to make it through the massive side effects of this round hitting my body - which would probably send me to hospital again. For now though I felt content in reaching this milestone and take each day as they come.

Sunshine Session # 5

For this Sunshine Session I was gifted a beautiful dress by my lovely cousin Belinda and her family from the Aussie Label LeSalty.

Unfortunately I didn't get to take too many photos in the dress as I ended up having my first stint in hospital following treatment. I did get to wear it to chemo of course and a day at the beach before I got neutropenic.

The Sunshine Six # Session 4

For my forth cycle of Chemo I got to wear something really special from the beautiful shop Hope25. The lovely owner Melissa creates t-shirts with inspiring messages for those under going chemo and other cancer treatments. 

Had fun mixing it up wearing my lilac wig and flower crown, because...why not!

Cycles 4 and 5 - Adjusting to my not so normal routine

Here we go again! Getting used the this crazy routine that's become my life for the time being. We've stopped rushing to chemo on the early Tuesday mornings now as we've realised the nurses don't mind us being a little late...well that's what we have assumed anyway!

Same thing - check my weight, check my bloods, obvs and give me my anti-nausea tablets and we get going. Everything seems to go a little quicker now as I know what I'm expecting - no more imaginary trip to Western Australia, I'd be lucky to to reach Canberra in this time! I even know the routine of how the sterilise everything! Perhaps a nurse in training? haha

During these two cycles I get lots of visitors as well as others taking me to my appointments. I get to show them around my hood - the good coffee place,  'my chair', and my nurses!

Chemo buddies!

I also got to meet someone very special - Rebecca. She was diagnosed with the exact lymphoma as me, three months earlier. I can't tell you how good it was to talk to someone the same age going through the same challenges.

Shift work -

 My family and friends are a great help, with almost a different person each time taking me to my appointments.

Chemo crocheting with the Smalleys :) 

Does it look like I know what I'm doing - as I really have no idea! (even though I was shown numerous times) I blame my numb fingertips but I don't even think that was the issue!

Lilac wigs and birthday celebrations

I was overly happy to celebrate my 25th birthday. Yes I was going through hell, but this just made me want to celebrate the good times even more so. I thought what better way to share the love then make everybody wear a wig with me! I was so excited to wear my lilac wig. It was a very warm Autumn day - so I was quite comfortable in having no hair under my wig - but my guests were definitely feeling the heat! It was such a great day and something I'll remember as such a fun time in this whole process. Thank you everyone for making this so special.

Family & Friends - Check out the video below for lots more photos!

50 Days Strong...

When life changes to be harder, change yourself to be stronger. What hurts today, makes you stronger tomorrow.

The Sunshine Six #Session 3

The Sunshine Six project ~ my little project to bring a little happiness into my chemo journey. I want to keep myself the same happy person with a love of everything pretty.  My goal with the Sunshine Six is to begin each of my cycles of chemo wearing outfits that have the essence of being happy and full of sunshine, despite being somewhere I'd rather not be.

For my third cycle of Chemo I got the pleasure of wearing lovely the Natalia dress gifted from St. Frock!

 It was a nice sunny day so that made it even better. I got lots of compliments on it too which is always lovely :) 

It really does change your mindset when you wear something you feel happy in - so thank you St. Frock!

The Best Day!

Today was a good day - a very good day! One that was emotional and that I am completely exhausted from, but one I'll always remember.

Today I got to go in my school and take part in the World's Greatest Shave with the staff and students. 

I'll admit it's been pretty hard not teaching this year - Luke will attest to me saying one of the first things when getting diagnosed I was worried about was 'what about school?', 'what am I going to do about my class?' - I was crushed. Last year I absolutely loved my first full year teaching Year 5, I was beyond excited to know I would be teaching Stage 3 again this year but other plans were in the works for now.

At the beginning of my diagnosis I had mentioned to a few people that the World's Greatest Shave would fall during my treatment, I had even joked that I 'may' have started to lose my hair by this time hahah - what a joke that was! Try ALL of it. 

I wanted to raise some money for an organisation that helps people just like me. As scary as it was at the beginning, once I had a diagnosis my treatment plan was all mapped out for me. I didn't have to think, research, all I had to do really was to turn up. I don't think I could have been merely as positive or as (semi) calm as I was without all of this! I was so excited when the teachers at school rallied around and decided to participate in the World's Greatest Shave. 

Even though the day was in the middle of my chemo week I wasn't going to let that stop me - I couldn't wait to go in and see everyone. The day was so fun! I was truly blessed by having a roaring entry with kids shouting my name, saying hello and greeting me with beautiful smiles (they had been told it was a strict no touch policy haha). They had raised money through a mufti day and the kids got to colour their hair. 

I had a team of four egg heads and four unicorns that shaved or coloured their hair for me. I even managed to get through most of my speech without crying - yay!

"On this crazy roller-coaster ride I’ve been on so far: I've learnt that I am strong and so are you - so much stronger than you think you ever could be. Sometimes things don't go exactly go your way and you might get knocked down. But the most important thing is that you get back up and keep on trying. Sometimes you can get back up on your own, all by yourself, other times you might need a little help from a friend and sometimes you have a whole school that rallies behind u filled with beautiful students, teachers and parents lifting you up to new heights you never could have imagined. From the bottom of my heart I thank you all".

Cycle 3 - My half way point!

Dad is on duty for this one and we break the tradition of being late and are 'just' on time. I go through the usual protocol of weighing myself and getting my observations done. My nurse Theresa doesn't waste any time and sticks the needle straight through my port to get things going! To be fair she did it so quickly it didn't hurt too much.

Dad and I get set up, I begin writing in my diary, whilst he reads National Geographic about some tribes in Africa! He gets me some yummy banana bread, and ice chips of course. 

The pharmacist comes to visit me and I'm starting to feel like a mini pro with my medicine routine. Still complicated I might add but I've got it under control...I think. She tells me some great news with my treatment - that they have found extra phosphate just for me... Yay? This means I can go back to my 48hr CADD pump rather than coming in every 24hrs to change it, so actually YAY!

Luke gets to take me to my third chemo session during the week. He is super curious asking me many questions for the most part I have no idea how or what to answer with. He noticed things like why they have double glass on the windows and doors - I still don't know why? He also asked the nurses lots of questions too! He soon tired out though and took up one of the recliners for himself, having a quick ten minute cat nap - you might have mistaken him as the patient! haha

The rest of my round goes really well - physically my nausea isn't too bad, still have the gross chemo taste in my mouth during week two but o well peanut butter and hard lollies seem to get me through. The best thing was that my injections barely caused me too much bone pain or aches! Didn't have to take any nurofen or use my heat pack to get through which was fantastic.

This marks half way through my treatment which is amazing - still a long way to go but it is nice to know I'm not right at the beginning anymore. 

The Sunshine Six #Session Two

The Sunshine Six project ~ my little project to bring a little happiness into my chemo journey. I want to keep myself the same happy person with a love of everything pretty.  My goal with the Sunshine Six is to begin each of my cycles of chemo wearing outfits that have the essence of being happy and full of sunshine, despite being somewhere I'd rather not be.

Sunshine Session 2

 For my second session I was gifted the beautiful Stevie dress from Auguste the Label - an absolutely amazing company, with the sweetest staff who made it even more special to wear. 

Thank goodness for my lovely headband from Top Knot Girl which turned a bad hair day into a pink hair day! Thank you both :)

Adele!

Hello..it's me! I was super excited when I was given the all clear by my oncologist and doctor that I could go to see Adele! Granted it was my lowest point in my cycle which meant I was at a greater risk of picking up an infection and having those god awful back spasms like I got in Round 1! BUT I wasn't going to let something like this get in my way! 


 Lauren and I came prepared armed with masks, panadol, nurofen, and my anti nausea meds - we were determined to win. I had prepared during the day by snuggling up to my best friend - Chester my heat pack in order to try and get the back spasms to a minimum. 

On the way to the arena, Lauren hears requests on the radio about excited Adele fans - naturally she felt compelled to call up and mention how incredibility excited we were to be out of the house and able to go to this concert. Lauren gets through and starts chatting to him about how much we love Adele, and that its her friend's first big outting since being diagnosed with the big cccancer! She meant to say the big C or chemo but due to an earlier event where my mum misunderstood what the C in Big C meant she opted out! 7 minutes later we heard the recording - it was the funniest and sweetest thing!

We find our seats - I'm pretty happy that its an outdoor arena with lots of fresh air! Lauren and I have fun trying to take photos with our masks without offending or freaking out those around us!

Bamm - Adele gets wheeled in her box inconspicuously onto stage and the show begins! Her voice was just incredible so clear and strong for being out in the open. I was up dancing at any stage I could to move my back - and with Adele songs these were few and far between!

In short she was - Fantastic and definitely happy I was able to see her!